Toilet flushing device



Oct. 2, 1962 J. s. CHIN 3,056,142

TOILET FLUSHING DEVICE Filed July 5, 1960 IIIVENTOR JOH u 5.01m

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United States Patent 3,056,142 TOILET FLUSHING DEVICE John S. Chin, 1444 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, Calif. Filed July 5, 1960, Ser. No. 40,708 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-64) This invention relates to toilet flushers, and more particularly to a device for automatically flushing a toilet when the toilet seat is relieved from the weight of a person using the toilet.

Toilets provided for public use often create a problem and an annoyance because users frequently neglect to flush the toilet after use. Such failure results in an offensive and unsanitary condition, and necessitates frequent attention by an attendant. This of course involves time, effort and expense.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a device by which a toilet is automatically flushed after use as the toilet seat is relieved from the weight of a user.

Another object is to provide a toilet flushing device which may be attached to toilets and flush tanks of conventional type to provide an automatic flushing operation.

A further object is to provide a toilet flushing device embodying improved features of construction and arrangement serving to facilitate construction, assembly and installation of the device, and to obtain eificiency and dependability in operation.

The invention has other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be hereinafter explained in connection with the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part of the present specification. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the structural features shown in the drawings, as the invention may be embodied in other forms, and the structural details may be variously modified, within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings;

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a toilet equipped with a flushing device embodying the present invention, the seat being shown in its raised position, and portions being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the toilet and flushing mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the seat in its lowered position;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the seat at an intermediate point during the flush valve operating movement.

In terms of broad inclusion, the toilet flushing device of this invention comprises a valve actuating link arranged to be reciprocated by pivotal movement of a toilet seat between its raised and lowered positions, the link being provided with latch means arranged to engage and actuate the valve actuating lever of a flush tank as the seat is raised, and to pass the lever and return to its operative position as the seat is lowered. The seat is normally moved to its raised position by spring means tensioned by movement of the seat to its lowered position, the seat being automatically returned to its raised position when relieved of the weight of a person seated upon the seat.

In terms of greater detail, and in particular reference to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the numeral 6 is used to designate in general the bowl portion of a toilet having a flush tank 7 connected thereto in conventional manner. The flush tank 7 is provided with the usual ball type flush valve arranged to be lifted by a lever 8 positioned on the front of the tank 7. Since the flush valve structure and the linkage through which the lever 8 operates the valve is well known and forms no part of the present invention, a detailed explanation thereof is unnecessary in the present specification.

A toilet seat 9 is pivotally mounted upon the bowl for movement between a lowered position in which the seat rests upon the top of the bowl 6 and a raised position in which the seat is positioned in a substantially vertical plane inclined slightly from the pivot axis toward the top of the flush tank. As illustrated, the seat 9 is pivoted upon a shaft 11 journaled upon bearing brackets 10. A mounting member 12 is secured in any suitable manner to the seat 9 and is provided with bearing lugs 13 engaging the shaft 11 adjacent the bearing brackets 10.

A bell crank designated in general by the numeral '14 is secured to the shaft 11. The bell crank is provided with a relatively long actuating arm portion 16, which extends forwardly along one side of the seat 9. A lip 17, which extends inwardly from the arm .16 near its outer end, extends under the adjacent edge of the seat 9 and serves to transfer motion to and from the seat and the lever arm. The bell crank is also provided with a relatively short valve tripping arm portion 18 which extends rearwardly toward the flush tank 7.

A valve actuating link 19 is pivoted at its lower end to the tripping arm 18 and is arranged to extend upwardly near the front of the tank 7 for engagement with the flush tank lever 8. The link extends through a guide 21 by which it is held in proper alignment with the lever 8. At its upper end, the link 19 is provided with a latch lug 22 arranged to seat over the upper edge of the lever 8 for imparting valve operating movement thereto when the link is moved downwardly from its uppermost position. The upper edge of the lug 22 is inclined to permit the lug to pass the lever as the link moves upwardly to its uppermost position. A leaf spring 23 secured to the back of the link 19 normally presses the link outwardly from the tank to lever engaging position, said spring being compressed to permit movement of the lug 22 past the lever 8 during the upward movement of the link.

The link 19 is also provided with a cam lug 24 which is engageable with a matching cam surface 26- formed at the upper edge of the guide 21. Movement of the lug 24 past the surface 26 into the guide 21 displaces the link rearwardly to move the latch lug 22 out of engagement with the lever 8, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

For toilets which are provided with a cover 27 pivoted for movement relative to the seat in conventional manner, a latch 28 may be secured to the tank 7 for engagement with a detent 29 secured to the cover 27. The latch is constructed of material such as to provide a spring action sufiicient to permit the detent to pass the square shoulder 31 of the latch member 28 to latch the cover in a raised position. The member 28 may be manually sprung upwardly to release the cover when desired.

A coil spring 32 is mounted upon the shaft 11 between the brackets 10 and lugs #13, the spring being anchored at one end to the shaft 11 and bell crank 14 and at the other end to a fixed abutment upon the toilet bowl or bearing brackets 10. The spring is tensioned to normally move the bell crank in a counter-clockwise direction to lift and swing the seat to its raised position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Movement of the seat and bell crank from the raised position to the lowered position causes tension in the spring 32 to be increased so as to automatically return the seat to raised position when relieved from the displacing force or the weight of a person seated upon the seat.

In operation, with the seat 9 in its normal raised position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the link 19 is displaced rearwardly against the resistance of the leaf spring 23 by engagement of the cam lug 24 with the guide 21, as best shown in FIG. 2. As the seat 9 is moved to its lowered position, the link is raised to an elevated position, as indiwhich time the square shoulder of the lug 22 is moved tooverlie the lever 8.

When now the seat 9 is released, the spring 32 swings the seat outwardly and, at the same time, the bell crank arm 18 moves the link 19 downwardly through intermediate pos'itions such as the one shown in FIG. 4. As the link 19 moves downwardly, the latch lug 22 moves the lever 18 downwardly to actuate the flush valve mechanism, thereby flushing the toilet in the ordinary manner. As the seat approaches its extreme raised position, the cam lug 24 moves the link 19 to disengage the lever 8, which is thus freed to return to its normal position in the ordinary manner. The link 19 remains disengaged, as shown in FIG. 2, until the seat is again lowered, at which time the link again latches onto the lever 8.

Having thus described the invention, 1 claim:

'1. A toilet flushing device for toilets having a flush valve operable for releasing water from a fiush tank to a toilet bowl provided with a seat mounted upon the bowl for pivotal movement about a horizontal pivotal axis at the rearward end of the seat between a lowered seating position and a raised position, said device comprising a bell crank mounted in association with and actuated by and with the seat, a flushing lever connected to the flush 30 valve for actuating the valve to a water releasing position, a link connected to the bell crank and arranged to extend upwardly therefrom past the flushing lever, a latch lug upon the link movable past the lever during its upward movement and engageable with the lever for imparting valve opening movement thereto when moved in the downward direction, a guide for the link, spring means normally urging the link and latch lug transversely within the guide toward its lever engaging position, inter-engaging cam means upon the link and the guide for displacing the latch lug from engagement with the flushing lever at the end of its valve actuating movement, and means for automatically raising the seat to its inactive position and the bell crank to its valve actuating position when re lieved from the weight of a person seated upon the seat.

2. A toilet flushing device as defined by claim 1 wherein the seat raising means comprises a coil spring mounted coaxially over the pivot axis of the seat and tensioned in part by the lowering of the seat to automatically raise the seat when relieved of displacing force.

3. A toilet flushing device as defined by claim 1 wherein the seat is pivoted to the bowl by means of a shaft and in which the bell crank is secured to the shaft and has a lever arm extending forwardly along a side of the seat and having a lip extending under the seat for transmitting pressure to and from the seat and the bell crank.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 906,734 McNeil Dec. 15, 1908 920,928 Davis May 11, 1909 1,381,710 Krantz et a1 June 14, 1921 

